Dutty Sokz Riddim – Rattler Records

Bounty Killer’s “Sixteen Bars” gives Dutty Sokz its spine, but the 2004 Rattler Records juggling doesn’t lean on one voice for long; it keeps moving through a rough-edged mix of heavyweight deejay cuts and a few slyer turns. Anthony Cruz opens with “Ya We Born, ” Buju Banton cuts in with the harder-edged “Ghetto Reality, ” and Capleton, Frisco Kid and Sizzla all add their own fire to a riddim that sits squarely in that raw mid-2000s dancehall pocket. The roll call also widens out with Boom Dandimite, Bugsy Malone and Lukie D, Galaxy P, Mr Lex and even Vybz Kartel, which helps give the set some movement between straight gunman business and more playful slackness. Still, Bounty’s “Sixteen Bars” is the one that lingers after the riddim runs its course.